With Summer in full effect, I’ve been itching for local resorts to kick off their summer activities so that I can stop sitting pool side drinking cocktails all day and actually feel like I accomplished something. Not that sitting poolside with a cocktail is a bad thing, but it gets old, fast. Especially when you don’t have a pool.

So when Keystone called about the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour, you could say I was a bit more than excited to head West and indulge myself in what has become one of the nation’s, if not the world’s, favorite foods. Who wouldn’t want to stuff their face with local bacon concocted into various dishes that tantalize your taste buds. Well, the answer is no one.

To start off the day, I rallied up to Keystone’s Ranch Golf Course for a quick 18 holes with cohort, Damian Quigley. Neither of us had played yet this year, except for a long lunch hitting balls two days before at the local driving range. Hardly enough to get us in prime golf shape, and boy did it show.

Despite our lack of skill, Keystone’s Ranch Course is one of the nicest I’ve played in Colorado. Tucked into a majestic valley and centered around a 9-acre lake, the Ranch Course has some of the most amazing views in golf. I mean, it was rated one of the best golf courses in America by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, two magazine’s I should probably be reading on a regular basis if this golf thing is to work out. If that doesn’t convince you, playing at altitude makes you look like you can hit it farther than Tiger Woods, but only if you keep it straight.

Three bloody marys, a jack and coke (our game actually got better) and 18 pristine holes later we finally found ourselves in line for yet another bloody mary to kick off the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour in the Keystone plaza.

Upon arrival it was no surprise that this place was packed with fellow food enthusiasts, all with one thing on their mind, bacon! We made one pass through the entire event to plan out our strategy, and then once we finished it was go time.